Rashid Hassan

Name: Rashid Hassan

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Grade: 12th

School: Bayview Secondary School

Hobbies and Interests: Muslim Student Union, Rock Club

Appearance: Standing at 6-foot-flat and 160 lbs. with a slightly-earthy olive complexion, Rashid isn't exactly the most imposing figure in school but by no means one of the scrawniest. He has curly black hair that he doesn't like to style, along with deep brown eyes. He has a "generically" Arab nose and mouth as well as a goatee he's growing on his chin.

He often dresses in pop-punk casual fashion though he doesn't wear anything too hipster. This usually consists of a button-down long-sleeved shirt with another punk-rock-branded t-shirt underneath along with jeans and sneakers.

He can sometimes be seen wearing an item of "terrorist" memorabilia, usually either a Hezbollah cap or T-Shirt. He doesn't say where he got these items, but he will admit to wearing them "only because it makes me look bad-ass," not that he follows any of these organizations' beliefs. He only wears the famous kaffiyeh during activist events though, apparently because he hates being lumped in with emos who wear that scarf during class hours.

Biography: Rashid was born in Minneapolis to two loving parents from Jordan. He also has a younger sister Raja, a quiet bookworm of a little sister. He is a laid-back, friendly high schooler with a penchant for the latest punk-rock music, "cool" gadgetry and obscene humor, although he is also unafraid to let his heritage show.

Rashid was raised a Muslim, his parents doing their best to ensure that he and his sister grew up an upstanding citizen of his faith. He quickly learned the traditions required of a practicing Muslim in America, along with a pragmatic respect for secular norms and traditions, an upbringing that went relatively undisturbed until 9/11 occurred in junior high. He remembers when he and his sister came home from school that day, the family embraced each other, perhaps in fear or in faith, before their afternoon prayers.

Just as well, and his family are unsurprisingly familiar with the politics that engulfed Muslim America after that incident. His parents are currently on the board of a Muslim-American Relations group that lobbies on behalf of Minnesota's growing Muslim communities. Trying to minimize any possible discrimination that may occur to him in school, Mrs. Hassan is also on the PTA and the two often lobby for the school system to be more "accomodating" to others. For example, copies of the school menu are sent to his parents in advance so they know when the menu is not "halal" enough that they can pack a lunch for him. Whenever a major pro-Palestine or anti-racism rally is held, one can expect the Hassan family to be in the crowd.

The age of the internet provided an interesting twist on the the rebellious streak Rashid naturally gained as he entered puberty. Rather than become even more devoted in his beliefs, he has actually started to resent his parents' obsession toward political correctness, something that somehow nestled its way in with the usual array of anti-conservative factors. He also started taking a liking for "decadent" American punk rock and internet culture, including blogging. Most shocking is his interest in Survival of the Fittest, although it hasn't reached past the level of conventional "fandom."

His parents' opinions are more divided over this. His mother often worries that he may "lose his identity to the melting pot" while his father believes it is a phase he will eventually outgrow, though both are concerned about how it will affect the more conservative Raja. That did not stop Mrs. Hassan from getting a spot on the Bayview PTA after Rashid was enrolled there, and continuing her relations group's work.

Despite his rebellious adolescent streak, Rashid still adheres to many aspects of Islam in life, something not as easily eroded from his childhood learnings. Although not quite as devoted to the prayer schedule as his childhood, he can always be seen praying on Fridays, carrying a GPS on him so he knows where to face. During Ramadan he is excused from the lunch line for the fast, and he swears off alcohol. This abstention affected his "party life" early on, though it took a turn for the better after he got his driver's license. He now works part-time as a designated driver for the rock parties he attends, which has earned him enough money to get his own guitar, and is saving up for a car of his own.

As for his faith, Rashid has taken a very unusual approach to the conflict between adhering to it and questioning it: he douses it in his sense of humor. He often likes to declare "random jihads" on different people and school organizations, wishing rather absurd fates on them just for kicks. This twist in his nature has gained him a modest measure of popularity from the 'rebel' crowd along with a substantial measure of contempt from those whom he likes to "attack." As for his parents' organization and activities, he often wishes they could just "chill out," and has not gone to many of their anti-racism rallies as often as before.

Not that Palestine still isn't dear to his heart (or so he says his family claims.) His grandparents originally lived in the Gaza area before the many conflicts that raged throughout the region caused them to flee to Jordan, and he finds the idea of someday returning to one's ancestral homeland one that elicits a "manly tear" every now and then. It's a cause he supports, though when arguing he does carefully tread the line between "resistance" and "terrorism."

Despite his laid-back nature, there are still a number of things that trip Rashid's nerves. Although he likes cracking Muslim jokes (as people of different races are wont to do with their own), he is known to flare up whenever directly attacked with outright racist/anti-Islamic epithets especially when it brings in his little sister, who enrolled in Bayview this year. One particular incident as a freshman earned him a suspension and almost caused a media frenzy when his parents learned of the incident.

So far, Rashid has yet to fail any of his classes, though his grades aren't usually honor-roll-worthy either. His reluctance to take up a particular sport has started to take a toll on his figure, which has become lankier in recent months. It hasn't dampened his optimism, and he hopes to go to a college "where it isn't this cold!" after graduation.

Advantages: Rashid is a rather friendly guy and can make friends with quite a lot of people. He will also be very loyal to his friends, particularly those who share his interests. His interest in SotF means he will at least have an understanding of how the game works.

Disadvantages: Rashid is far from a good shot with most weapons, and does not have much athletic training. Such a spontaneous change in environment will most certainly throw his beliefs in disarray, which will not be good when combined with his temper.

Designated Number: Male student no. 144

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Designated Weapon: A bottle of iodine tablets

Conclusion: Well, at least B144 won't die of thirst or water-born disease. That's something, right? I mean, sure, a real weapon would have been nice, but... oh, who am I kidding? B144's going to have it rough. A bad temper combined with nothing to back it up means he's not long for this game. Still, he seems like an amusing enough sort, so maybe he'll get some sympathy from the viewers. That'll make his inevitable demise all the sweeter.

'The above biography is as written by laZardo. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.'

Evaluations
Handled by: laZardo

Kills: None

Killed By: Harun Kemal

Collected Weapons: A bottle of iodine tablets (assigned weapon)

Allies: Harun Kemal

Enemies: None

Mid-game Evaluation:

Post-Game Evaluation:

Memorable Quotes:

Threads
Below is a list of threads that contain Rashid, in chronological order.

The Past:
 * Activists and Commie Mutant Traitors

Pre-Game:
 * Inspiration

V4:


 * Don't Go Breaking My Heart...
 * Calculations
 * Gypsy Rap
 * Keep On Smiling
 * Bitti Rüya

Your Thoughts
''Whether you were a fellow handler in SOTF or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Rashid Hassan. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here!''
 * Rashid's really underrated. Laz had two good characters in V4, and Rashid was the less known. His first thread's a bit rough, because he comes off as a bit too creepy, like he's somehow making the worst mistakes he possibly could, while at the same time being an actually harmless and innocuous guy. After that, though, Laz changed stuff up a bit and gave Rashid some more menace, letting him be a boy on the edge of snapping and making bad choices, a boy who messes up a lot but usually can recover. Rashid has a good little arc, and his death really is sad. A solid character who could use some more attention, and for a bonus he spends most of his time with the also-excellent Harun Kemal. - MurderWeasel